Do you know any good ways with basil?

My daughter just gave me a potted basil plant and it is doing well, big leaves and growing at a fantastic rate.

Basil is traditional associated with tomato dishes but I would like to know how else it can be used in cooking?

what are different ways to eat corndogs besides in mustard/ketchup?what is your favorite?

How long is fresh basil pesto good for?

How long would fresh basil olive oil keep?

How long does it take for herbs to grow from a seed to be ready to harvest?

I need some ways to spice up this diet & make exercise enjoyable?

Is it okay if I eat basil with brown spots all over?

Does any one have any good basil recipes?

How many different ways can you use cinnamon?

Are basil leaves left in the fridge for two weeks still good?

Fresh basil pesto recipe – And can you freeze it?

Would Italian Dressing and Basil leaves make a good marinade?

How does one eat a turnip?

7 comments a “Do you know any good ways with basil?”

I add basil to soups, stews, gumbos, beans, baked chicken, you name it.. it is a wonderful herb. I just bought my plants yesterday and plan on putting them in garden today. Remember to not let them get too spindly.. keep cutting a few leaves and cut the blooms when they appear. This will keep them going through the summer. Another great thing I do with the basil is to chop it and sprinkle over fresh cucumber.. Is wonderful. Also.. try drying the leaves and keep in a container for later usage.

When I use basil, I always add it at the last moment, so that the flavour doesnt go away. (remember)
In Chinese cooking, we use basil to contemplate thick soups.
Also, we sometimes deep fry basil leaves for garnish with fried protein. It’s really good.

Cook some pasta, stir in some Olive oil, garlic, chili and fresh basil leaves and serve. Yummy.

Here’s a couple great ways to enjoy Basil, they are both quick and easy.

Pesto Pesto Pesto…

1 cup pine nuts
1 cup Parmigiana Reggiano, or Grana Padano Parmesan cheese.
At least one bunch of Basil
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup or so of Extra virgin Olive oil

put all this(except the oil) in the blender / food processor
and gradually add the oil until you get a thick paste.

Keep the paste in a jar that doesn’t not have a lot of surface area at the top, and cover with a layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation.It will keep for a few weeks.

Use this on any type of pasta, or as a spread with bread.

Another way to enjoy basil is the Insalata Caprese

Buy 1 ball of Mozzarella di Bufala. Buffalo mozzarella,

The best tomatoes you can find

and fresh Basil leaves.

Slice and season the tomatoes with salt and fresh cracked black pepper, On a plate place a slice of tomato, then put a Basil leaf on top, then a slice of Mozzarella and continue until you are out of ingredients.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

All good answers – my vote is for pesto, it’s delicious and it’s only really worth making with fresh basil. Some things you should keep in mind:
1) pesto needs LOTS of fresh basil. It’s unlikely that one basil plant is going to provide enough basil for you to make pesto with unless you strip all the leaves off the plant, thereby killing it. I used to plant an entire meter-long planter full of basil plants and pick leaves off as they grew ripe.
2) there are many different types of basil. I’m assuming this is Italian basil, which is good for pesto. But it may be thai basil, which tastes completely different. Many thai dishes also use thai basil, if you’re interested.

You want to make sure the plant isn’t rootbond and in a big enough pot.

You can do so much with fresh basil. For starters, to preserve it, you can make a pesto and freeze it so you always have some to add to sauces, etc. There’s many different ways and ingredients you can add to pesto. You can go as simple as just the basil leaves and some olive oil in a food processor.

I like basil in my meatloaf, meatballs, tomato sauce, pesto, on a tomato and mozzarella salad, on my pizza, in an omelette, in salad dressing, in a cream sauce, in a butter sauce, in minestrone soup, or another soup, in a pot roast in the slow cooker.

I just had some fresh basil and made Pesto Genovese with it. I put a dollop on a lot of things, and also add it to my pasta sauce.

This goes down well at our place:

In a microwave safe casserole dish, layer thinly sliced potatoes, sliced tomatoes, a little minced onion and a little minced basil until dish is full, finishing with potato. Grate some tasty cheese over the top, cover and microwave for 15 mins on HIGH or until potatoes are tender.
Serve with sausages or chops.

Do you know any good ways with basil?

7 comments a “Do you know any good ways with basil?”

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